Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 14 February 2018
Reports of Russian deaths underscore dangers of Syria's war

By R. BURNS a group of Syrian Kurds and 15E attack planes, B-52 He insisted the U.S. had not said Tuesday that “Ameri-
V. ISACHENKOV Arabs, dubbed the Syrian strategic bombers, AC-130 yet determined the nation- cans have taken danger-
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's Democratic Forces, fight- gunships, Apache attack alities of those in the attack- ous unilateral steps.”
a scenario many feared “Those steps look increas-
in the fog of Syria's multi- ingly like part of efforts to
front war: a confrontation create a quasi-state on a
in which U.S. forces, re- large part of Syrian territory
sponding to a provocation, — from the eastern bank
kill Russian mercenaries or of the Euphrates River all
contractors on a crowded the way to the border with
battlefield. Iraq,” he said. The state
Russian news reports Tues- Tass news agency on Tues-
day described just such a day cited Natalya Krylova,
scenario, with an unknown a municipal lawmaker in
number of Russian military the town of Asbestos in the
contractors killed in a fero- Urals, as saying local resi-
cious U.S. counterattack dents Igor Kosoturov and
last week, although De- Stanislav Matveyev were
fense Secretary Jim Mattis killed in Syria on Feb. 7.
and other U.S. officials said The Interfax news agency
they had no such informa- reported that a Cossack
tion on casualties and the group in the westernmost
Kremlin did not confirm This image shows damaged buildings in Raqqa, Syria. Several private Russian military contractors Kalningrad region said a
it. U.S. officials also said were killed by a U.S. strike in Syria, Russian media reported Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018 in a develop- member named Vladimir
the Russian government ment that could further inflame Russia-U.S. tensions if officially confirmed. Loginov was killed in com-
had lodged no complaint (AP Photo/Gabriel Chaim) bat in the Deir el-Zour prov-
about Russian nationals ince. It also quoted Alex-
having been killed. ing the Islamic State. helicopters and Reaper ing force. Russian media ander Averin, the leader of
What is not disputed is the Also beyond doubt is the drones fired on the attack- said Russian private con- extreme leftist group Anoth-
fast-changing, often con- ferocious scale of the U.S. ing ground force, which tractors were part of pro- er Russia, as saying that one
fusing nature of a battle- attack on Feb. 7, in re- Harrigian said was advanc- Syrian government forces of its activists, Kirill Ananyev,
field in which forces of mul- sponse to what the U.S. ing under covering fire from that advanced on oil fields was killed by the U.S. strike
tiple countries are bumping military called a barrage artillery, mortars, rockets in the Deir el-Zour province near Khusham. Russian me-
up against one another, of artillery and tank fire and tank rounds. He said and were targeted by the dia also cited unconfirmed
raising the prospect of vio- from several hundred "pro- the air power stopped the United States. The reports claims that overall casual-
lent collisions, whether in- regime" fighters in Deir el- attackers' advance and cited activists who said that ties could have been as
tended or not, that could Zour province, an area in destroyed an unspecified at least four Russian citizens high as 200 and Russians
further inflame tensions be- eastern Syria where rem- number of artillery guns were killed in Syria on Feb. could have accounted
tween Moscow and Wash- nants of the Islamic State and battle tanks. He gave 7. The Russian Defense Min- for the bulk of them. Those
ington. Russian forces are have converged among no estimate of casualties. istry charged that the inci- claims couldn’t be verified.
supporting the Syrian gov- oil fields. Lt. Gen. Jeffrey "As the hostile forces turned dent reflected a U.S. push President Vladimir Putin’s
ernment in its war with op- Harrigian, commander of west and retreated, we to grab Syria's economic spokesman Dmitry Peskov
position groups while stay- U.S. air forces in the Middle ceased fire," Harrigian, assets under the cover of refrained from comment-
ing in daily contact with East, told reporters a broad speaking from his head- fighting the Islamic State ing on the reports about
the U.S. to avoid deadly range of U.S. air power was quarters in Qatar, said in a group. Without mentioning the deaths last week, say-
battlefield collisions. Sepa- unleashed. For more than video teleconference with the U.S. strike, Russian For- ing Tuesday they need to
rately, the U.S. is supporting three hours, American F- reporters at the Pentagon. eign Minister Sergey Lavrov be verified. q

Mattis: Allies must take responsibility for Syria detainees

By LOLITA C. BALDOR "The important thing is that were known for beheading were part of the IS cell that said there is not a "one-way
ROME (AP) — U.S. Defense the countries of origin keep hostages. captured, tortured and forward" for all the detain-
Secretary Jim Mattis urged responsibility for them. How Asked specifically about beheaded more than two ees right now - just the sen-
reluctant allied nations to they carry out that respon- Britain's move to revoke the dozen hostages, includ- timent they must be taken
address a growing crisis by sibility, there's a dozen dip- citizenship of the two fight- ing American journalists off the battlefield.
taking responsibility for their lomatic, legal or whatever ers, Mattis repeated his ad- James Foley and Steven There are no known Ameri-
citizens who have been de- ways. But the bottom line is, monishment that countries Sotloff, and American aid cans among the detain-
tained as foreign fighters for we don't want them going "bear some sense of re- worker Peter Kassig.Mattis ees. But a U.S. citizen who
the Islamic State group in back on the street." sponsibility" for their citizens. was asked if the U.S. would surrendered to U.S.-backed
Syria. "Doing nothing is not The U.S.-backed Syrian "The most important thing take any detainees or if the forces in Syria is being held
an option," Mattis said fol- Democratic Forces are cur- is we figure out how we're Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in Iraq amid a protracted
lowing a conference of de- rently holding thousands going to deal with this," detention facility was a legal fight over his fate.
fense ministers in Rome that of IS detainees, including Mattis said. possible option. He said he Most of the foreign fighters
discussed the issue without hundreds of foreign fight- U.S. military officials have wasn't willing to talk about are from the region, includ-
resolving it. Some govern- ers from a number of na- confirmed that El Shafee that. The priority now, Mat- ing Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
ments have expressed lit- tions. Last week, they an- Elsheikh and Alexanda tis said, is to "define the The meeting coincided
tle interest in having such nounced they'd captured Amon Kotey, who grew up problem and then we'll get with a coalition gathering
militants returned. "We're two notorious British mem- in London, were captured the solution." He said there's of diplomatic leaders in
gathering up hundreds...of bers of an Islamic State in early January in eastern a need for an accurate Kuwait, including U.S. Sec-
detainees," Mattis told re- cell who were commonly Syria. U.S. officials have in- count of detainees and retary of State Rex Tillerson.
porters traveling with him. dubbed "The Beatles" and terrogated the men, who where they are from. He q